COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Kansas fights off K-State in Big 12 showdown

Kansas guard Travis Releford (24) looks for a teammate to pass to as he is pressured by Kansas State guard Angel Rodriguez (13) during an NCAA college basketball game Tuesday in Manhattan, Kan. Kansas won 59-55. (AP Photo)

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP)  Travis Releford scored 12 points and No. 3 Kansas held off No. 11 Kansas State down the stretch for a 59-55 victory Tuesday night that gave the Jayhawks sole possession of first place in the Big 12.

Ben McLemore and Jeff Withey added 11 points each for the Jayhawks (17-1, 5-0 Big 12), who pushed their nation-leading winning streak to 16 games and ended the Wildcats 12-game home winning streak.

Shane Southwell, who scored a career-high 19 points, got Kansas State (15-3, 4-1) within 56-53 with a scooping layup with 38.2 seconds left. Naadir Tharpe made two foul shots to restore a five-point lead.

Rodney McGruder finished with 13 points and Angel Rodriguez had 12, all in the first half, as the Wildcats lost for the 45th time in 48 games against their bitter in-state rival.

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Kansas State had its own eight-game winning streak snapped.

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VILLANOVA 73, No. 5 LOUISVILLE 64

PHILADELPHIA (AP)  Achraf Yacoubou hit the tiebreaking 3-pointer late in the second half to help Villanova to the upset.

The Wildcats (12-7, 3-3 Big East) led by as many as 10 points in the first half and rallied late in the second to send the Cardinals to their second straight loss. Louisville (16-3, 4-2) had an 11-game winning streak end in a 70-68 loss to Syracuse on Saturday.

Yacoubou hit the go-ahead 3 with just less than 4 minutes left and the Wildcats held on from there.

Peyton Siva had 15 points and 13 assists for the Cardinals and Wayne Blackshear scored 17 points. The Cardinals, a 71 percent free throw shooting team, was 12 of 24 from the line and shot 40 percent from the field.

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No. 14 OHIO STATE 72, IOWA 63

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP)  Deshaun Thomas, who missed part of the second half with a cut above his eye, scored 16 points as Ohio State built a big lead and then held on.

Thomas, the Big Tens leading scorer at 21 points per game, sat out about 3 minutes while an open cut over his right eye was bandaged.

The Buckeyes (14-4, 4-2 Big Ten) led by 24 points with under 13 minutes left but watched as Iowa cut the lead to four with 1:30 remaining.

Travis McKie added 16 points for the Demon Deacons (10-8, 3-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), including two free throws with 3.4 seconds left that helped Wake Forest hold on down the stretch in a wild final 4 1/2 minutes.

N.C. State led by 16 points in the first half and 12 at halftime only to see the Demon Deacons rally and push ahead to their own 10-point lead.

Then N.C. State (15-4, 4-2) managed its own comeback, closing the gap to a point with about a minute left. But ultimately, Wake Forest  a team filled with freshmen  did just enough to earn a win that sent their fans storming the court to celebrate.

Wake Forest shot 59 percent after halftime.

Rodney Purvis scored 18 points to lead the Wolfpack, who fell to 1-2 since upsetting top-ranked Duke on Jan 12.

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No. 22 MISSOURI 71, SOUTH CAROLINA 65

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP)  Earnest Ross and Jabari Brown hit key 3-pointers in the final 1:11 and Missouri overcame 5-for-27 shooting from long range and a 13-point second-half deficit.

Ross had a career-best 21 points and Brown had 17 for Missouri (14-4, 3-2 Southeastern Conference), which is 11-0 at home this season and has won 12 straight at the Mizzou Arena.

Brown had eight points in a 20-2 run that gave Missouri a five-point lead with just under 12 minutes to go. Alex Oriakhi was 10 for 10 at the line and fouled out in the final minute with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Tigers, who won despite 33 percent overall shooting.

Brenton Williams had 16 points with four 3-pointers for South Carolina (11-7, 1-4), which has lost four conference games by a combined 18 points and faced its first ranked opponent of the season.